Analysis

In a field of candidates which ranged from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Steve Coppell, Michael Appleton has emerged from nowhere to claim the Portsmouth job. The club cast the net wide and certainly took their time to find Steve Cotterill's successor, but were never likely to break the bank for some of the high-profile candidates. Appleton inherits a squad well capable of moving up the Championship, and a club eager to lay foundations for the future. On paper, it seems a good fit

"He comes with a very good pedigree and has worked with some fantastic people and arrives with a good reputation in the game," said Lampitt.

"I'd like to think this decision is more indicative of the fact we have done our homework and looked for and have tried to get the best man for the job.

"The perception of the football club is changing in my view and the fact we had so many applicants tells its own story."

Appleton says he is impressed by the club's vision and was eager to get them back into the Premier League.

The former Manchester United and Preston midfielder also defended his own appointment: "People will obviously mention my age but I've spent seven years coaching and five with senior players.

"We realise the troubles the club has had in the past but I think this is a new challenge and a new chapter for everybody and I want to get the club playing where they were four or five years ago.

"I think the thing that attracted me to the club is that they have a five-year-plan.

"That plan includes improving the infrastructure of the football club and getting hold of the training ground they own, to building on the academy, to setting up a recruitment policy where we can recruit from within as well as scouting them from across Europe and America."